Pomona Unified officials declare several pieces of district owned land surplus property

Members of the Pomona Unified School District Board of Education voted Tuesday night to declare a number of pieces of district owned real estate surplus property.

School board members voted unanimously to follow the recommendation of a district advisory commission, consisting of district residents, business people and others, to declare eight pieces of land surplus. The commission recommended the properties be sold or leased.

In August 2012 the advisory commission recommended board members declare five large pieces of land owned by the district surplus property. Those pieces of real estate, which range in size from 3.4 acres to a little more than 31 acres, are located across the district and have drawn the attention of developers.

The group of properties declared surplus Tuesday consists of mostly vacant real estate less than 2 1/2 acres in size.

Most of the properties in the two groups of land declared surplus were purchased during a period when the district was experiencing an increase in enrollment. However, in recent years the district has experienced a decline in enrollment.

Advisory Commission Chairman Samuel Tharpe told board members Tuesday the commission's analysis showed that in the next five years the district's enrollment will either remain steady or continue to decrease.

The review process must be completed before the school district can begin to take steps leading to the sale, lease or trade of properties.

Plans call for disposing of the properties gradually, said Leslie Barnes, Pomona Unified's assistant superintendent for business services and chief financial officer.